Cocaine News

Cheap Cocaine: It's a 'Social Thing' - "Coke's a social thing, and I always pair it with alcohol," said a 25-year-old Los Angeles woman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, to ABC News.More
Brain Disconnect in Cocaine Addiction - Parts of the brain involved in monitoring behaviors and emotions show different levels of activity in cocaine users relative to non-drug usersMore
Cocaine Is Their Nectar - It is hard to love bees, but their tiny brains could hold clues about how humans become addicted to cocaine.More
Teens Lie About Cocaine Abuse - Teens substantially underreport their use of cocaine and other illicit drugs, even when they know a drug test looms, a new study finds.More
Man denies the cocaine found in his buttocks - A man being searched during a traffic stop swore that the bag of cocaine lodged in his buttocks belonged to someone else...More
How Cocaine Corrupts the Brain - Scientists have found how cocaine corrupts the brain and becomes addictive. These findings are the first to connect activation of specific neurons to alterations in cocaine reward.More
Cocaine's Grip on the Blood and the Brain - It is not exactly news that cocaine is bad for the health. But in two new studies released last week, researchers documented still more detrimental effects of the drug, both immediate and long-term.More
Why Cocaine Is So Addictive - Mount Sinai researchers have discovered how cocaine corrupts the brain and becomes addictive...More
Study: Love At First Sight Is Like Doing Cocaine - Falling in love activates chemicals in the brain that create the same feelings of bliss associated with cocaine...More
87-year-old Woman Sentenced for Selling Cocaine - An 87-year-old woman accused earlier this year of selling crack cocaine to an undercover deputy was sentenced today to 18 months in state prison.More

Smoking Cocaine

Smoking cocaine typically involves the "freebase" form of cocaine otherwise known as "crack" cocaine. As the name implies, “freebase” is the base form of cocaine, as opposed to the salt or powder form of cocaine hydrochloride. Whereas powder cocaine hydrochloride is extremely soluble in water, cocaine base is insoluble in water and is therefore not suitable for swallowing, snorting or injecting. Powder cocaine hydrochloride is not well-suited for smoking because the temperature at which it vaporizes is very high, and close to the temperature at which it burns so most of the cocaine gets burned up before it reaches the lungs; however, cocaine base vaporizes at a low temperature, which makes it suitable for inhalation.

Smoking freebase cocaine is preferred by many users because the cocaine is absorbed immediately into the bloodstream via the lungs, where it reaches the brain in about five seconds. The rush is much more intense than snorting the same amount of cocaine nasally, but the effects do not last as long. The peak of the freebase rush is over almost as soon as the user exhales the vapor, but the high typically lasts five to ten minutes afterward.

What makes smoking cocaine particularly dangerous is that users typically don’t wait that long for their next hit and will continue to smoke freebase cocaine until none is left. These effects are similar to those that can be achieved by injecting cocaine hydrochloride, but without the greater risks associated with injecting.

Smoking cocaine leaves the user feeling energized, more alert and more sensitive to sight, sound and touch. Heart rate increases, pupils dilate and blood pressure and temperature rise. The user may then start to feel restless, anxious and/or irritable. In large amounts, crack can make a person extremely aggressive, paranoid and/or delusional.

Because of its effects on the heart rate and breathing, smoking cocaine can cause a heart attack, respiratory failure, strokes or seizures. It can also affect the digestive tract, causing nausea, abdominal pain and loss of appetite.

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Cocaine Facts

In the late nineteenth century the famous drink Coca-Cola was so-called because one of its key ingredients was a liquid extract of the coca leaf along with the Kola nut and did in fact contain cocaine. To this day Coca-Cola includes a non-narcotic extract of the coca leaf.

In the past, people underestimated the addictive properties of cocaine. This is due to the lack of physical cocaine withdrawal symptoms addicts experienced. This past misconception has been proven false time and time again.

Injectable cocaine users are at risk for infections such as hepatitis and HIV. There is some evidence that people who use cocaine may participate in HIV-related risky behaviors, such as sharing needles and unprotected sex, more often than people who inject other types of drugs. Nasal blood found on straws used for inhaling cocaine can carry hepatitis C and be a source of infec­tion.

Instead of giving into their obsession with using cocaine, an addict undergoing the cocaine withdrawal process must occupy his/her mind with new, unrelated thoughts. This stage of cocaine withdrawal usually only lasts for about a week and after this period the body will no longer have a physical craving for cocaine. Although getting rid of the physical craving is essential in remaining free of addiction, the mental obsession will still exist. If an ex-cocaine addict does not know how to effectively manage these mental cravings, he/she will return to old habits and will eventually relapse.

Is cocaine addictive? The answer is yes, it is a very addictive drug. Not everyone who uses this drug becomes addicted, but if they do, it can be one of the hardest drug habits to break. People who become addicted to cocaine lose control over their use of the drug. They feel a strong need for cocaine, even when they know it causes them medical, psychological, and social problems. Getting and taking the drug can become the most important thing in their lives.

It is important to note, the causes of cocaine abuse can also be attributed to cocaine’s naturally addictive nature. For many people, cocaine use becomes a compulsive habit. When cocaine is taken the user typically receives a euphoric high, but when the substance wears off an extreme craving is left causing the user to again take more cocaine. This vicious cycle is difficult to stop. In most cases the situation becomes so bad that more and more cocaine is taken each time to achieve that euphoric effect.